A transfer from Tennessee, Bennett was recruited to Tennessee by former head coach Butch Jones. When Jones got the job at Arkansas State, Bennett was intrigued to finish out with the man who wanted him. Dismissed from the Tennessee program., Bennett drew very little attention throughout the pre-draft process, not attending any all-star games or events. 

There isn’t a lot of upside to Bennett’s game, especially considering his age at this point of his career. We even saw he peaked in college at Arkansas State, settling into the same averages between 2021 and 2022. There’s not a lot that Bennett is going to get better at and when he plays in the league, he won’t have a big role. 

Paris Johnson Jr. (OSU) vs. Kivon Bennett (Arkansas St.) was a pretty fun matchup.
Kivon is explosive and twitched up and won early on a few reps, but the athleticism from Paris Johnson Jr. allows for some crazy recovery reps. pic.twitter.com/Cm6VOfrFda

— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) November 7, 2022

Missed two games in 2022 with an undisclosed injury. Did not workout at his pro day due to a knee injury. 

Kivon Bennett’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (45)

Speed/Athleticism: 20 

• Speed (4.5/7) – Intriguing athlete. Good speed and has quickness to be effective. 
• Lateral Quickness (5/7) – Solid lateral quickness.
• Body Control (4.5/6) – Has a couple of great moves – pulls off an inside spin very well. 

Burst: 10 

• First Step Quickness (2.5/5) – Slow off the line. Doesn’t have a good first step or get off. 
• Explosion (3/5) – Fairly explosive athlete.

Power/Strength: 15 

• Upper Body Strength (3.5/6) – Flashes upper body strength, but isn’t consistent with using it well. 
• Lower Body Strength (4.5/6) – Lower body strength is there. Very stout in his lower half. 
• Pure Brute Strength (1.5/3) – Pure brute strength isn’t really there. 

Pass Rushing Mechanics (25)

Bend: 10 

• Balance (2.5/5) – Balance is an issue with Bennett who struggles to keep his feet. Constantly slipping and sliding. 
• Bend (3/5) – Struggles to effectively turn the corner. Doesn’t show a lot of ability in terms of bend, but has the finesse to work well into position. 

Finesse: 15 

• Hand Usage (3/5)  – Doesn’t show a lot of ability in terms of hand usage. Doesn’t disengage from the blocker well. Goes into a rep with a plan. 
• Hand Strength (3.5/5) – Hand strength is good. Very heavy, powerful hands and delivers a good punch. 
• Hand Placement (3/5) – Placement is below average, but Bennett was able to work well against lesser opposition and create production. 

Defender Ability (26) 

Tackling/Pursuit: 16

• Tackling Ability (3.5/6) – Good wrap up tackler when he needs to be. Hits with power and force. Solid tackler overall. Missed a lot of tackles (17.5% over his career, per PFF). Good instincts overall.
• Space Defending (3.5/5) – Strong contain defender, does a good job positioning to pursue the play either way. 
• Pursuit Angles (3/5) – Tends to under pursue plays especially to the boundary. Doesn’t always take the proper angle and doesn’t have the speed or makeup ability to chase down his mistake. 

Motor/Consistency: 10 

• Motor (4/5) – Good motor. Don’t see Bennett take a lot of plays off. 
• Consistent Motor (3.5/5) – Doesn’t take a lot of plays off. 

Overall: (70) – 7th/PFA